EVANSVILLE — A high school football game at Bosse Field? It’s happening.
Memorial High School announced on Thursday its annual matchup with Castle on the final week of the regular season will be played at the baseball stadium this fall. It is scheduled for Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. CDT and designated as a Tigers home game.
It will be the first football game played at Bosse Field in 13 years.
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"We want to celebrate, not just Memorial and Castle, but also football here in our community," said Memorial athletics director Chad Dockery. "You look back at the history of teams that played here and the history of this place. To bring that back and share that with the community should be a really special night."
Why are Memorial and Castle playing?
The idea came from Memorial as part of its "100-Year Series" in conjunction with the 100th year since the school opened. A date in October also made sense based on the availability of Bosse Field. The Evansville Otters play their home games at the stadium and could require it through the middle of September.
Memorial and Castle play annually on what is known as Rivalry Week in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. Both programs also understood the importance of football to Evansville and Bosse Field. The Tigers were involved in the last game played there in 2011.
"We’re excited about that opportunity," said Memorial coach John Hurley. "It will be our 99th football season. We have a strong rivalry with Castle. I think it will be a great environment. They’re going to travel well. We’ll travel well. It should be an awesome experience. It's another opportunity to come out here and expose more kids to (Bosse Field).
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It is unknown if Castle has ever played at Bosse Field. The Tigers will wear special green jerseys based on their connection to Holy Cross and Notre Dame. The Knights will wear throwback jerseys similar to ones from the 1982 state championship season.
"(Bosse Field) is just part of Evansville lore," said Castle coach Doug Hurt. "I remember coming here as a little tyke and watching the Triplets. We've always had great, most of the time crazy games and very competitive over the years. On top of an already great rivalry, we're both really excited about it."
Do any changes need to be made to Bosse Field?
It won't take as many alterations as one might think.
The end zones will be located at home plate and center field, as they were in the 2011 game. Memorial will be required to move the goalposts at Bob Hargrave Field, the school's practice facility, to the ballpark but the base for those still exists under the baseball playing surface.
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Tickets will cost $10 and can be purchased through either school's website or at the Bosse Field box office. Memorial also hopes demand will necessitate additional temporary seating either beyond the outfield wall or on the grass.
"There's not a whole lot to be done to it," said Dockery. "The preparation that was done the last time the game was here still exists. Our hope is people are able to just come and enjoy this great environment. Enjoy the field and history of this place."
How often has Bosse Field hosted football games?
The stadium has been intertwined with football since it opened in 1915.
Bosse Field, which is owned by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation, hosted over 500 high school games over the next 56 years and was the home of Rex Mundi (closed in 1972), North and Central at various times. The ballpark was also used for National Football League games from 1921-22 for the Evansville Crimson Giants.
Memorial defeated Belleville West (Ill.) 21-19 in the last game on Aug. 26, 2011. The Tigers stopped a game-tying two-point conversion with 1:58 remaining. Sam Curtis led Memorial with 93 yards rushing and one touchdown.
"I thought it was important to expose (Bosse Field) to kids who may not realize that football was played here," said Evansville Otters owner Bill Bussing. "I never saw a game here as a kid. The more we can teach our kids about the history of this community and what Bosse Field means (to it) ... we just want to use it for the entire community."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville Bosse Field will host its first high school football game in 13 years this fall
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